The "Science" of Sleep

"Oh boy, sleep!  That's where I'm a viking!"

The famous words of Ralph Wiggum ring the essence of an activity that is instinctive of humankind: that act of sleep.  It is the action of powering down every system in the body in order to recharge and recuperate for the next day of life.  It is an activity that is valued but neglected by many in modern society.  It is something that if embraced will ultimately lead to a greater quality of life.

The toughest part about sleep, for me at least, is that I live in a world that does not embrace it.  Based on the way many of my friends talk about their schedules, it sounds like this is the way it is for most Americans.  We live in a society that has put sleep on the back burner and has replaced this void with insane work hours and social events.  The average amount of sleep has reduced from ten to eight, and nowadays from eight to a mere five.  In fact, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2008 that over one in ten Americans do not get enough sleep over a given month's time span.  If the quantity of sleep has reduced this much across the nation, you can only imagine how badly the quality has become as well.  People are no longer focused on rest and relaxation, but instead are worrying about what time they need to wake up in the morning.  Thus, the mind and body never really relax but rather go into a standstill until that alarm clock sounds.  Such is a common case among a majority of working Americans and ultimately leads to stress, crankiness and bodily breakdown as the systems never fully recuperate.

In my experiences, the military is probably one of the most notorious organizations when it comes to sleep deprivation.  Waking up at 5 AM each day for PT and working 12 hour shifts afterwards is enough to take its toll on a reasonable person.  Add the additional duty of the staff duty desk, and you have a majority of troops and junior leaders staying awake for 24 hours at a time multiple nights of the month, something the body is not naturally built to do.  Let's not forget all the "hooah" schools like Ranger and Special Forces, where students are known to obtain only one or two hours of sleep a night while they prepare for their next patrol or reaction to contact.  And this is only in Garrison as well; it doesn't get any better while deployed... The constant patrols, force protection, battle tracking and Tactical Operating Center (TOC) operations will keep all soldiers awake anywhere from 14 to 20 hours a day, regardless or rank or position.  Multiply that by three months then by six months, and you naturally develop an endless cycle of anticipation for the next waking hour.  Admittedly, I never experienced the reality of being shot at constantly for days on end, but there were nights when I could not achieve a single consecutive hour of sleep as I thought of my friends at remote combat outposts (COPs) who were going through hell every night and how I could not help them.  It got bad enough to a point where I had to retrain my body to go to sleep.  I did not make contact at all with my mattress unless it was for the purpose of rest; no reading, movies or video games, just shut-eye.  Of course, this could never compare to the kind of sleep deprivation experienced first hand through getting struck by mortars or RPGs at dawn.  Our enemies know the value of sleep, and they will exploit it anyway they can to ruin our lives.

So aside from the deployed environment, I wondered why so many Americans back home are nearly as sleep deprived as us?  When it boils down to the mental motivation, I think it is really very much related to one of the same factors: the anticipation for what is next.  Everyone anticipates reaching success in life.  To be successful, any working person will naturally focus their energy on performing their job better and for sustained periods of time.  Especially in today's economy, being the top performer is more important than ever.  That means working longer hours, staying mentally focused on the task at hand, and answering to the call of duty at any given hour of the day.  It doesn't just end with work either.  One must reach success socially as well, which will involve meeting up with those important people at the bars and clubs, exercising for two hours a day to achieve the perfect body, and staying out with that special someone with hopes of making them your spouse and starting a family.  Do all these things, and you might achieve success.  Now where does sleep fall into this equation?  It does not.  SLEEP IS A WASTE OF TIME!

Well, I have chosen to look at the flipside of this equation and determine that sleep is not a waste of time.  It has taken me 26 years to realize this, but just because you need to sleep does not mean you are wasting your life away.  Aside from the physiological benefits, there is really no point in depriving yourself of sleep for pure anticipation for the next day.  You cannot control everything that will happen around you, so why worry about waking up to affect everything?  All you can control is you.  And who is it to define what success is?  Success is not being a workaholic or a socialite.  Success is not having a mansion with three cars and a family portrait above your desk.  Success is doing what makes you happiest in life.  It is being able to dream of whatever you choose and to wake up each day ready to live life to the fullest.

Now let's sleep on that!

Middle Class Rut - No Name No Color

It is a true rarity when I discover a band on mainstream radio, and I like their sound so much that I am compelled to purchase their compact disc (a dying medium in this day and age) and listen to it all the way through.  I'm glad this band is so worthy of that rarity...

Hailing from Sacramento, CA, Middle Class Rut is made up of two men: vocalist/guitarist Zach Lopez and vocalist/drummer Sean Stockham.  Formed from the ashes of the late 90's band Leisure, the duo have been playing as MC Rut since 2006, releasing several 7" and EPs throughout their career.  "No Name No Color," released in October 2010, is their first full length record and proves to bring an innovative wave of assault into a lackluster modern music scene.

From start to finish, "No Name No Color" display's MC Rut's total ability of surviving on the bare minimum.  The first track "Busy Bein' Born," which was also the title track off their 2008 EP, crescendos into a world of newfound power through its crunching guitars and deep drums.  Musically, the duo show true versatility in their use of only guitar and drums.  Lopez is able to generate a wide range of distortion, melody and effects similar to that of Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello.  Some might think that there's a bass on a few tracks, but don't be fooled - it's all guitar.  Stockham utilizes various tones of drums on each track, but manages to keep every beat simple while belting out a strong vocal performance.  Together, the band crafts a style that fuses indie rock, punk, blues, and even country into 54 minutes of angst and musical journey.  Faster tracks such as "USA" and "Lifelong Dayshift" blast a sonic explosion that can compete with any indie-punk band, while slower and heavier tracks like "Sad to Know" generate a wall of sheer force not to be reckoned with.  Lopez and Stockham's combined vocals create a rugged yet tightly woven harmony of signing and shouting, resembling that of Sparta and 30 Seconds to Mars.  Lopez's screaming over Stockham's melodic vocals leads many of the choruses throughout the album and is a tough one for many bands to achieve.  In some cases, Lopez and Stockham's lead vocal parts sound almost identical, as if they are the same person.  But perhaps that's the whole point...

On the lyrical side, MC Rut lives up to it's name, exploring those deep dark issues that make the middle class tick: loss, depression, broken friendships, social separation, and political oppression.  The radio hit "New Low" might sound like the Pixies' "Where is My Mind" at first, but after a closer listen it walks into the lives of two men who are spiraling into an unknown black hole, one that they were led to through the mistakes of their past lives.  One of the more political songs "One Debt Away" delves into the decay of the American Dream, illustrating a society controlled by taxes and bills that essentially leads all people to "being glad to be home."  The track "Dead End" burns bridges with past friends and lovers, while the sludge rock anthem (and arguably the best track on the album) "Thought I Was" shouts of frustration and ultimately liberation from a world on autopilot.  The album closes with the tongue-in-cheek tune "Cornbread," a catchy come-on sung from the point of view of an outcast searching for his own identity.

Clearly, MC Rut have proven themselves on this record as a diverse yet simple duo of die-hard musicians that are not afraid to push themselves in any direction they choose.  They are an example of how less equals more.  It doesn't take three, four, or nine musicians to make a strong, emotionally charged record that can be recognized among the mainstream heavyweights.  In fact, the only criticism I have of this band is the question of whether they can pull of the same kind of sound on stage.  There are some songs that clearly require two, sometimes three guitars in order to generate the same effect, unless Zach Lopez is able to create multiple tones through his effects pedals.  I have yet to see these guys play live, but based on the sellout shows that they have been playing on their last two tours, I'm sure they are delivering a show that is unlike anyone else out there.  I will have to see it to believe it though...  Bottom line is that MC Rut are setting a new standard for rock music, and hopefully they will continue to expand the walls of sound they have already created (not to mention keep making great music for riding the slopes to).